Meyer puts a twist on letter of intent signing

For Kasson-Mantorville softball player Stephanie Meyer, her grandfather, Layton, will always hold a special place in her heart. As one of her biggest fans since she was playing in the KMGSA, Meyer could always count on seeing him on the side cheering her on as she developed into a key member of the KoMets.

As her career has blossomed with K-M, Meyer was in the process of signing a letter of intent to play softball at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. However, her grandfather recently had moved into hospice care which meant that it was unlikely he’d be able to attend her ceremony.

That lead Meyer to a unique idea: Have the signing at the hospice.

“It was really important for him to be there,” Meyer explained. “My grandpa has been to pretty much every one of my home softball games since I was eight [years old]. Having him move there has been kind of tough, but it was great to have him there for [the signing].”

Meyer held her letter of intent signing at Seasons Hospice in Rochester along with her fellow grandparents, Verlyn and Marlys Heidt, who had made the trek from Arizona for the Coffeehouse choir concert along with Meyer’s graduation in the coming weeks.

“It just kind of worked out that they flew in,” Meyer stated. “They’ve been there as well and have made it to whichever games they could make it to.”

On the diamond, Meyer has developed into a nice second baseman that also sees a little bit of time on the outfield. Her path to Luther began as almost a courtesy visit for her father, Lee, who had graduated from the school. That coincidence turned out to be something more as Meyer fell in love with the campus as soon as she set foot on it.

“It was just the feeling I got on campus,” Meyer recalled. “People have been asking me how I decided on Luther and I don’t really have a good answer other than that.”